fresh muffins every day for a month? yes you can!

and they are healthy too! on my most recent trip to london, my friend jon made these muffins. when he told me that he could keep the batter in the fridge up to 30 days and make a fresh muffin whenever he wanted--- i was determined to make these for myself as soon as i got home!


basic recipe:
1/2 cup veg oil
2 eggs
1 cup wheat flour
2 cups digestive bran
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of oats
a sprinkle of mixed spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc... up to you)



*mix oil, sugar and eggs until mixed.
*add remaining ingredients and mix well.
*you can also add honey, banana, dried fruit, raisins or nuts now-- or add things in with each new baking session. I decided to do the latter, so i could make different muffins every time
*allow to stand overnight in refrigerator, sealed in a plastic container.

when ready to bake:
*oven to 375F
*spoon in to greased muffin tin, filling each compartment to the top.
*bake for 12-15 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*this batter will keep in the refrigerator up to 30 days before baking--- make sure the container is tightly sealed.

i decided to do 6 muffins at a time, and a different mix in with every batch. these are the muffins i made:

30 day muffin mix with cranberries and honey



30 day muffin mix with banana, honey and oats on top.



30 day muffin mix with banana, oats and dark chocolate on top.

christmukkah cookies for all!

every year i bake cookies for all the men that work in my building. this year i even invested in really pretty cookie packaging from my new favorite spot in brooklyn - paper source.

i wanted to have a variety of cookies, but also wanted cookies that could all be done for all eight recipients in 2 nights (at most). i wanted to make sure i got everyone fresh cookies-- it makes all the difference. i also had to find a good vegan recipe. two of the lucky cookie recipients are vegans- and they both happen to be the nicest guys in the building.

my friend pam recently made these delicious cookies that she mentioned were vegan. they were so rich with chocolate and spicy too. i knew they were the right choice. i gave the extras to my boyfriend and some visitors i had in from baltimore. i mentioned the cookies were vegan and my cookie fans were shocked!

spicy mexican hot chocolate cookies for vegans (and non vegans too)

ingredients:
cookies:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne

topping:
coarse sugar
cinnamon

instructions:
*oven to 350 F.

*mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. set aside.

*mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. mix in vanilla.

*sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.

*roll dough into walnut sized balls. pat into the sugar topping to flatten slightly (not too flat). transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread).

*bake for 10 to 12 minutes





so- the vegans were taken care of, now what about the other nice guys in my building? i decided to use one sugar cookie dough recipe (which i doubled) to make three different types of cookies. thumbprints with jam, nutella sandwiches with sugar on top, and lemon iced cookies (lemon icing recipe further down). they were all sooooooo delicious. i also had a lot of help from my awesome chef's assistant / boyfriend.

the best simple sugar cookie dough:

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for the work surface

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp maple syrup

instructions:

*oven to 350° F.
*in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
*using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. beat in the vanilla.
*reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). shape into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
*on a floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. using cookie cutters, cut into shapes. place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart.
*bake 10 to 12 min



lemon icing:
juice of half a lemon
lemon zest
1 cup of confectioner sugar
few spoonfuls of water

wisk till smooth.
when cookies are cool, dip in icing.
let dry a bit. dip one more time.
sprinkle with sanding sugar.
put in fridge for 30 minutes.
serve cookies at room temp.

these are the cookies ready to go! happy holidays everyone.




xo

cake balls, brooklyn's best and vintage tins!

one of my favorite west coast ladies got married this summer. i sadly could not attend the wedding. as a little post wedding treat, i sent a care package. other than the horrible experience of waiting in line at the post office (a fate worse than death), it was so much fun to assemble this package. it included homemade banana cake balls, mast bros chocolate, a baked brownie, brooklyn gum, 1" story pin, goucher college sticker (it's where we met after all), john waters postcard and cards from atomic books--- i put it all in a vintage 50's tin from holland. i love vintage tins, and to find one in such beautiful condition was divine!



cake balls are something i rediscovered recently. they are always a BIG hit at the office. making cake balls can be a bit messy, but they are pretty easy to make otherwise. i recently starting thinking about all the flavor combos that could be made... and one that i needed to try was banana cake with cream cheese frosting and dark chocolate. i followed bakarella's 'instructions' while incorporating different flavor cake. i also put a single sugar pearl on each cake ball, which i thought was a romantic touch.



so much deliciousness being sent with love from east to west <3

a brunch fit for a queen mother

mothers day! not your everyday brunch... it calls for something more special than your generic pancakes or eggs (as good as that is). brunches like this are an excuse to make something far more gluttonous than your typical sunday fare.

pain au chocolat bread pudding , fruit, healthy canapes and french press coffee were the items on my menu.

FIRST canapes: wasabi egg salad on cucumber

for the egg salad:
5 hard boiled eggs (chopped)
3 spoonfuls of wasabi mayo (trader joes brand)
red onion chopped
chives chopped
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

serve on sliced cucumber. garnish with cayenne pepper and chive



SECOND pain au chocolat bread pudding and strawberries on the side

PAC pudding (get the le crusset ready):

5 stale pains au chocolat (cut in 1" slices)
2 cups whole milk
2 cups double cream
3 tblsp sugar
1 large egg
4 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 bar quality dark chocolate (my choice - vosages creole bar)

oven to 350.
butter your dish.
cut up the bread to 1" pieces and arrange in dish.
sprinkle roughly chopped chocolate bar over dish.
put milk and cream bring to near boiling point.
whisk egg, yolks and sugar into large bowl.
pour milk into egg mixture whisking continuously.
add vanilla.
pour over bread and leave to soak for ten minutes.
cook for about 45 minutes.

this brunch was a big hit. good quality coffee to accompany brunch is highly recommended.

taking you downtown to brownie town

my friend mellio likes nothing more than desserts with raspberries and chocolate. she started telling me months before her birthday that making her anything else was just not an option. also not an option--- trying to live to see 30 without baking for her birthday ;) she's a funny lady. she's a puerto rican chick who loves the film yentyl and insisted ricky martin was NOT gay, just hispanic ('danielle, you just don't know what hispanic men are like, ooohkay!') until one month ago.
melissa and i go way way back to the days of midwood high school. how could i say NO to mah gurl?

i looked over so many recipes before i decided something rich and simple would do the trick. raspberry chocolate brownies it is then!

raspberry chocolate brownies

* 4 eggs

* 1 1/2cup sugar
* 2 teaspoon vanilla

* 1 cup butter

* 1 ½ cup ghirardelli ground chocolate
* 1 1/3 cup flour

* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 4 teaspoons of milk
* semi sweet chocolate chips
* raspberry jam

*confectioners sugar, with milk and cocoa for icing glaze.

1. oven at 350 degrees F.

2. cream butter with sugar and vanilla; add eggs. beat till well mixed.
3. mix ground chocolate with flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. stir into egg mixture; milk, and chocolate chips last, stir in raspberry jam.
5. 8 x 8 well greased pan
6. Bake 40-45 minutes
7. let cool
8. put in 'cups'
9. drizzle glaze and raspberries
10. one chocolate truffle for the birthday girls portion



enjoy. digest. enjoy again.

paging dr pepper!

my boyfriend loves his sweets. there is one thing in particular that he is very well known for loving (other than me)- and that is dr pepper soda. i knew i wanted to make him something with dr pepper- and a dr pepper cake seemed like a great option. i have had chocolate coca-cola cake before, and boy, did i love it. for these cupcakes i used a coca-cola chocolate cake recipe and added dr pepper instead. the batter seemed a bit runny when i first filled the cups, but the end product was rich and moist. i am happy i decided to make a simple vanilla frosting to go with it, because the flavor of the cake itself shouldn't compete with anything too rich. these cupcakes were a huge hit at sheep station. in fact, they went over so well with the bar staff that i got a few free drinks out of it! most importantly, boyfriend loved them too :)


i call these sweeney-pie's cocoa pepper cola cakes :)

CAKE:

1 1/2 cup dr. pepper soda
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 stick salted butter (good quality)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder (i used some i got as a gift from belgium- any high quality cocoa works)
2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk

oven to 350° F

combine the dr. pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. when it comes to a simmer, mix well and turn stove off.

mix dry ingredients together - then add to mixture in saucepan and mix well, by hand. don’t over mix.

in a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together, and add them to the cocoa cola mixture and mix lightly- not too much.

pour into cupcake cups and bake at 350° for approx. 20-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

cool on rack. put in fridge till cool.



FROSTIN:

2 sticks of unsalted butter - very soft
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cup confectioner sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of buttermilk


beat butter 3 minutes, slowly add sugar

in saucepan, simmer milk, buttermilk and flour till it forms a warm paste. stir constantly- it will burn otherwise.

add warm mixture to butter/sugar. mix well.

put in fridge for 30 minutes.






FROST CUPCAKES. EAT, ENJOY!

snow day cookies

there have been a lot of snowy days recently- and what warms a cold nyc apartment better than fresh baked cookies?? mmMMmm! i have made these cookies many times before. i love them because i almost always have everything i need to make them in my kitchen already, and it's easy to vary the spice or citrus for different flavors. this cookie has so many textures and flavors-- it's sure to please. i don't even measure my spices at this point, and sometimes i add different spice combos than listed below. on this very snowy day--- i wanted every layer of texture, flavor, spice, zest, chocolate, gooey chewy, cookie goodness to knock me into submission.

!!snow day cookies!!






*set oven to 350 degrees

*cream the following:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*add to cream mixture: 2 large eggs

*mix dry in a bowl:
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cardamom

*add these after incorporating dry ingredients bowl:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (maybe more--- i LOVE chocolate)




tablespoon size scoops. 10-15 minutes depending on your oven.

consume. share. repeat.

hot chocolate boyfriend brownies!

a few months ago one of the legal interns brought in the most amazing brownies. of course i told her she had to send me the recipe. she finally did... going by her original recipe produces delicious results, but i decided to change it up a little bit. half of these went to my new boo, but some of them made it into the office, which was very appreciated. this recipe also produces some of the best brownie batter i have ever tasted--- i really didn't think you could beat box brownies--- but these do!

Ingredients



* 2 eggs

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 1/2 cup butter

* 3/4 cup ghirardelli ground chocolate
* 2/3 cup flour

* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* teaspoon vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons of milk
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon
* semi sweet chocolate chips
* hot chocolate mix for dusting (cadbury is my pick)


directions



1. oven at 350 degrees F.

2. cream butter with sugar and vanilla; add eggs. beat till well mixed.
3. mix ground chocolate with flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

4. stir into egg mixture; add oil, milk, and chocolate chips last.
5. 8 x 8 well greased pan
6. Bake 40-45 minutes







the flavor reminds me of the hot chocolate in barcelona. straight up brownies are effing delicious, but sometimes it's nice open yourself up to something a little different...

a chocolate cake so decadent, it gets its own bath...

nigella! i love the woman... soft focus on film, curves, english accent, large appetite, domestic goddess to all. i got her cookbook from my secret santa, and i got it just in time to try something for xmas day at the bon bons (should i just rename this blog 'keeping up with the bon bons' ??)... i looked through the whole thing twice and the cake that seemed the most irresistible was her chocolate mousse cake. it's a lot of egg, a lot of chocolate, and a water bath!

i decided to bake it in the morning before heading over, and it really was quite easy for a cake this rich. i enjoyed melting the chocolate and butter in a double boiler--- breakfast of champions! the recipe (if you don't have the book) can be found here.



then the cake pan took a little bath...



and: MMM!





this cake went over very well at the bon bon xmas! also the next morning the bit i had left was destroyed by melissa, who consumed it all and demanded i make her her own cake next time.

a very merry jewmas indeed.



AND... the next day we went to buttercup bake shop for cupcakes. tasty weekend! jojo was NOT complaining.

popcorn, marshmallows, chocolate and cinnamon... oh my

happy halloween from sookie stackhouse! one of my favorite days/nights of the year. a chance to dress up, play pranks, watch old horror films, be a little naughty and eat candy... popcorn balls has always been one of my favorite halloween treats. i had never made them before, but i discovered the recipe is almost the same as rice krispie treats. i decided to try adding some chocolate and cinnamon to make them a little more exciting, after all halloween is about sugar overload, so why not go ALL THE WAY.

what you'll need:
half a stick of butter
bag of marshmallows
3 quarts of popcorn
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1/4 cup hot chocolate mix (cadbury for me)
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips

in a LARGE pot, cook the butter, sugar and marshmallows. melt them down till you have a big pot of ooey gooey melted marshmallow goodness. after that, turn the heat to low. in a large bag mix the popcorn, hot chocolate mix, cinnamon and chocolate chips. add the bag of 'seasoned' popcorn to the marshmallow goo. stir till well coated. coat your hands with butter and roll the mixture into tightly packed popcorn balls. let cool on wax paper and serve. i added a few smarties for fun.